
Germany updates: Merz seeks to win over investment – DW – 07/21/2025
Chancellor Friedrich Merz is welcoming executives from top German firms on Monday, hoping to rally fresh investment after two years of recession.
Around 30 companies — including big hitters like Siemens and Deutsche Bank — are expected to present projects under the "Made for Germany" push to restore confidence in the economy.
While the government has approved billions in tax relief and a €500-billion ($580 billion) fund for infrastructure and climate, Berlin says public money alone won't be enough. from the DW newsroom, overlooking the Rhine River in Bonn — the former capital of West Germany.
You join us as Chancellor Friedrich Merz gets ready to woo some of Germany's biggest business bosses to help get the sluggish economy back on its feet.
Top names like Siemens and Deutsche Bank are expected talks in Berlin, along with more than a dozen other DAX-listed giants.
About 30 firms are set to join what's being billed as a major push to rebuild investor confidence in the country's economic future.
Merz is under pressure after two back-to-back years of recession and little sign that 2025 will turn things around.
Follow along for the latest on what Germany is talking about on Monday, July 21.
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DW
12 hours ago
- DW
5 years after protests in Belarus: Have things changed? – DW – 08/08/2025
Five years ago, mass protests rocked Belarus — but the regime clamped down hard. What's changed since then? And could things have turned out differently? No one saw it coming when the largest protests in Belarus' history erupted five years ago — in a country that had already been ruled autocratically by Alexander Lukashenko for more than a quarter of a century. At the time, people took to the streets to protest against the results of the August 9, 2020, presidential election, which was rigged in Lukashenko's favor. They were also angered by the authorities' lack of steps to protect the population against the COVID-19 pandemic and the arrest of the most promising opposition presidential candidates and thousands of citizens. Women organized marches and students took to the streets. Workers, actors, and athletes protested, diplomats were dismissed, and doctors and teachers wrote open letters to voice their dissatisfaction. In turn, the country's security forces responded with a wave of violence. Many people were hurt and even killed, with a steady stream of injured people taken directly from police stations to hospitals. And the Hollywood story of the then housewife Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who entered the race for the Belarusian presidency in place of her then-imprisoned husband Siarhei Tsikhanouski, ended without a happy ending. She was forced into exile in Lithuania. Over the years, Alexander Lukashenko increasingly worked to secure Russia's support. He helped Vladimir Putin in the war against Ukraine, triggered a migration crisis on the border with the European Union, gained power for another five-year term, and still has no intention of stepping down. But could things have turned out differently? The developments in Belarus could not have turned out any differently at the time, says Artyom Shraibman, an expert at the Carnegie Center, a foreign policy think tank. "The West had no leverage at these critical moments to weaken the Lukashenko regime in any way," the Berlin-based political scientist said in an interview with DW. DW columnist Alexander Friedman, who teaches Eastern European history at German universities, points to the global political paradigm, which was different in 2020. "From a European perspective, Belarus was perceived as a zone of Russian interests where extreme caution was required," he said. The situation might have been different if Putin had not supported Lukashenko and had instead taken a neutral position. Five years on, there are no longer even digital traces of the mass protests in Belarus. The media outlets that reported on them at the time are now closed or operate from abroad. Their websites are blocked by the Belarusian authorities. Many people have also deleted their private photos and videos of the events of 2020, fearful that authorities will use them to identify participants in the protests. Articles, reports, archives, and social media posts have also disappeared. At the same time, it is increasingly difficult for the regime in Belarus to hide the enormous scale of the repression. According to the human rights center "Viasna" in Belarus, at least 8,519 people have been prosecuted for political reasons since 2020, and a total of more than 60,000 people have been imprisoned. Among the most prominent prisoners is activist and flutist Maria Kolesnikova, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison. Her relatives have had no contact with her to this day. The same applies to banker and philanthropist Viktor Babaryka, who is serving a 14-year prison sentence. And human rights activist Ales Bialiatski is currently the only Nobel Prize winner in the world who has to work six days a week in a penal colony. "Bialiatski's health is deteriorating; he has problems with his eyesight and his legs," said Leonid Sudalenko, a former political prisoner and Bialiatski's colleague at Viasna, in an interview with DW. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Even today, Belarusians are still being persecuted in connection with the 2020 protests. Since the beginning of the year, more than 1,700 people have been arrested on administrative, criminal, and politically motivated charges. And those are only the numbers known to human rights activists. The reasons for detention are manifold. Some were photographed during the protests. Others liked "extremist" web content – although in Belarus, all independent media is classified as "extremist", including DW. Some left "incorrect" comments on the web, campaigned for the "wrong" candidate in the 2020 elections, made donations or sent parcels to political prisoners. The list of "extremist" offenses is long. For example, a company that produced jewelry pendants in the shape of a map of Belarus was recently labeled "extremist." In recent months, the regime has released political prisoners in small groups — more than 300 people in total. In June 2025, this included Siarhei Tsikhanouski, blogger and husband of the leader of the Belarusian democratic forces, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. He was released from custody on the day Alexander Lukashenko met with US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Keith Kellogg. The Belarusian regime makes no secret of the fact that it would release political prisoners in exchange for concessions from the West. Lukashenko declared on July 31 that he was prepared to hand over several thousand people. "If you want them, take them! What do you offer in return?" he wrote after talks with the US delegation. Artyom Shraibman believes the West could do more to support people in Belarusian prisons. "It could negotiate more actively for the release of these people and offer Lukashenko concessions in terms of his reputation and diplomacy — phone calls, visits and contacts." In theory, Western countries could go even further, he said, and "consider lifting some sanctions in order to reach a kind of exchange with Lukashenko to end the migration crisis and release political prisoners." But the expert said that such steps would be unlikely to radically change the situation in Belarus. Instead, they could change the prospects of individual victims of this regime. Their fates are largely in the hands of the West. However, since Belarus has not been and is not a priority, there has been no sign of serious willingness to get involved so far.


Int'l Business Times
13 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
ICC Unseals Libya War Crimes Warrant For Militia Officer
The International Criminal Court on Friday unsealed an arrest warrant for a Libyan militia member accused of war crimes including murder and torture between 2016 and 2017. The court said there were "reasonable grounds to believe" that Saif Suleiman Sneidel was responsible for war crimes of murder, torture and "outrages upon personal dignity". The November 2020 warrant found "reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Sneidel participated in three executions where a total of 23 people were murdered", the ICC's prosecutor's office said in a statement. The crimes were allegedly committed in Benghazi or surrounding areas, in Libya, on or before June 3, 2016 until on or about July 17, 2017. The prosecutor's office said Sneidel's arrest warrant had been issued under seal to "maximise arrest opportunities" and to minimise risks to the criminal investigation. "For this reason, no details of the application or warrant could be provided until this stage," it said. The decision to make it public followed a second application by the prosecutor's office to "increase prospects for arrest". "We hope to create the momentum for Mr Sneidel's arrest and surrender," said deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said. "The Court can now discuss issues related to possible arrest with States, the UN Security Council, and the international community at large, fostering support and cooperation." Sneidel is believed to have been serving in Group 50, a sub-unit of the Al-Saiqa Brigade led by the the late Libyan commander, Mahmoud Mustafa Busayf Al-Werfalli. Prior to his death, Al-Werfalli was the subject of two ICC arrest warrants for eight executions in Benghazi, three of which the prosecution alleges Sneidel took part in. "The prosecution alleges that Mr Sneidel was a close associate of Mr Al-Werfalli, and had an important leadership role alongside him in the Al-Saiqa Brigade," the statement said. The ICC has been investigating atrocities in Libya since 2011, following a referral from the United Nations Security Council. The ICC also confirmed that another Libyan suspect, Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, had been arrested by German authorities on July 16, 2025 for war crimes and crimes against humanity. He remains in custody in Germany pending legal proceedings. Libya has faced years of instability, militia violence and fractured government since Gaddafi was overthrown and killed in 2011 near his hometown of Sirte during the Arab Spring uprising.


Int'l Business Times
15 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Israel Plans To 'Take Control' Of Gaza City, Sparking Wave Of Criticism
Israel's military will "take control" of Gaza City under a new plan approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet, touching off a wave of criticism Friday from both inside and outside the country. Nearly two years into the war in Gaza, Netanyahu faces mounting pressure to secure a truce to pull the territory's more than two million people back from the brink of famine and free the hostages held by Palestinian militants. Israel's foe Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack triggered the war, denounced the plan to expand the fighting as a "new war crime". Staunch Israeli ally Germany meanwhile took the extraordinary step of halting military exports out of concern they could be used in Gaza. Under the newly approved plan to "defeat" Hamas, the Israeli army "will prepare to take control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population outside combat zones", the premier's office said Friday. Before the decision, Netanyahu had said Israel planned to seize complete control of the Gaza Strip, but did not intend to govern it. The premier told US network Fox News on Thursday that Israel wanted to maintain a "security perimeter" and to hand the Palestinian territory to "Arab forces that will govern it properly without threatening us". Israel occupied Gaza from 1967, but withdrew its troops and settlers in 2005. Netanyahu's office said the cabinet had adopted "five principles", including Gaza's demilitarisation and "the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority". The plan triggered swift criticism from across the globe, with China, Turkey, Britain and the UN's rights chief as well as numerous Arab governments issuing statements of concern. In a major shift, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced his country was halting military shipments to Israel, saying it was "increasingly difficult to understand" how the new plan would help achieve legitimate aims. "The German government will not authorise any exports of military equipment that could be used in the Gaza Strip until further notice," he said. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid denounced the cabinet's move as "a disaster" that could result in "the death of the hostages, the killing of many soldiers... and lead to diplomatic bankruptcy". The main campaign group for hostages' families also slammed the plan, saying it amounted to "abandoning" the captives. "The cabinet chose last night to embark on another march of recklessness, on the backs of the hostages, the soldiers, and Israeli society as a whole," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said. An expanded Israeli offensive could see ground troops operate in densely populated areas where hostages are believed to be held, local media have reported. Some Israelis, meanwhile, offered their support. The Israeli army said last month that it controlled 75 percent of the Gaza Strip. Out of 251 hostages captured during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the military says are dead. Gaza residents said they feared further displacement and attacks as they braced for the next onslaught. "They tell us to go south, then back north, and now they want to send us south again. We are human beings, but no one hears us or sees us," Maysa al-Shanti, a 52-year-old mother of six, told AFP. Hamas on Friday said the "plans to occupy Gaza City and evacuate its residents constitutes a new war crime". It warned Israel that the operation would "cost it dearly", and that "expanding the aggression means sacrificing" the hostages held by militants. International concern has been growing over the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, where a UN-backed assessment has warned that famine is unfolding. The World Health Organization said at least 99 people have died from malnutrition in the territory this year, with the figure likely an underestimate. Gaza's civil defence agency said a 19-year-old was seriously injured during the delivery of aid by an airdrop over Gaza City. "There are daily injuries and fatalities caused by the heavy parcels falling on people's heads in densely populated areas," said civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal, adding that stampedes and overcrowding at aid drop sites frequently lead to casualties. Bassal said Israeli strikes across Gaza on Friday killed at least 16 people. Israel in recent months has eased some restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient. Israel's offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry. The 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Palestinians following a strike on Gaza City, which Israel would 'take control' of under a new plan AFP Infographic with a map of the Gaza Strip showing the parts of the territory under unrevoked evacuation orders or within Israeli militarised zones as of August 6, 2025, according to UN/OCHA AFP Israel's security cabinet approved new war plans that involve taking over Gaza City AFP Israel has eased some restrictions on aid entering Gaza, but the United Nations says the amount allowed into the territory remains insufficient AFP